Broken
by sigyn-chi
Summary: No matter how much he tries, Vigilance cannot forget about the young red haired woman that has been imprisoned for her cruelty and it pains him. Knowing that he will not find peace unless he confronts her, he goes to her. -after demon path, good ending-


Warning: Spoilers in the Demon Path Good Ending, maybe OOC-ness with Vigilance and Revya

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Soul Nomad and The World Eaters (or Soul Cradle and the World Eaters if you guys want to call it that) because if I did, Soul Nomad would have a PSP port. Come on, Nippon Ichi, if you guys can make a port of your other PS2 SRPGs, why can't you make a PSP port of this one!

Author's Note: This idea has been in my mind since I finished the Demon Path (which was a year ago) but I never got the chance of writing it until now so if the characters are OOC or the events are not correct, blame my memory.

Updated (8/14/2011): Thank you Cuna999 for pointing out the mistakes. I edited the mistakes you have pointed out.

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Broken

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_"You're really being kind, kid. They can betray you anytime." He said as he stared at the reflection of a red haired young woman, seeing the amusement in her red eyes. Although he had no body of his own, he could see what she could see, hear what she could hear, taste what she could taste and feel what she could feel. It had become a habit for her to stare at a reflection whenever they would converse alone. _

_She laughed and crossed her arms, smiling as she replied, "I don't care."_

_"You don't care?" He shouted and she laughed again, twirling like a child. _

_With her back towards the mirror, she said, "It'll be fine. They'll probably betray me but you won't. I can trust you…"_

_She turned her upper body slightly to glance at the mirror, a smile on her face as she asked, "Right, Gig?"_

_"Hell yeah. We're soul mates, kid. You'll have to trust me since we'll be together forever."_

He opened his eyes abruptly, his breathing erratic while his heart pounded against his chest, threatening to destroy his hearing. Vigilance gripped the grasses below him, trying to calm himself.

He remembered her smile back then. It had been pure and child-like, so different from how the people saw her. There had been no insanity in that smile and he had always been the only one to see her like that.

No… Not him…

Gig…

His heart continued to ache but he managed to sit up, returning to his duty as the master of death. Souls pass by him and he guided them towards the cycle, doing his duty almost robotically.

Soon, his mind wandered off, remembering about her.

_"So, she died." She nodded at his question as she continued to lie on her bed... no, their bed..._

_"You planning to sleep again?" He asked and she shook her head. He remained silent for a moment before asking, "You're not mourning over that cuckoo girl, are you?"_

_"No." She replied immediately, a blank expression on her face. She closed her eyes and said, "I was just thinking..."_

_"About what?" _

_"What would you do if I die?" She asked as she opened her eyes._

_"Kid, if you die, I die." _

_She laughed at his answer. With a smile on her face, she said, "Oh, that's right. I asked a weird question, huh?"_

_"You're not going to die, kid. I'm right here with you."_

_A playful smile appeared on her face as she asked, "So... does that mean that if you leave me, I'll die?"_

Vigilance stopped, his chest aching once more. He gripped his chest tightly and closed his eyes. It was starting to get worse. He knew that the pain would not stop until he talked to her one last time. Although he had said his farewell, although he was no longer Gig, he knows that he will never be free of any emotions he might have held towards her when he had been Gig. Vigilance was not Gig but Gig's memories, his emotions and his words still remain in Vigilance's mind.

And these mementos of Gig started with the simple desire to destroy the world but the majority of the rest of Gig's mementos… most of them…

… centered on her.

Ever since Gig had met her, everything started to revolve around her. His plans, his desires, his wants... they were all connected to her.

The pain in his chest could be his guilt for turning his back against being Gig. Maybe, in the end, all Vigilance wanted to do was to finally be rid of anything that was connected to Gig.

Maybe that's the reason he's here right now, in the secret underground chamber the Queen had ordered to be constructed. Getting here was easy, all he had to do was follow her soul and here he was, standing in front of the onyx sword that now imprisoned her soul. He could feel another soul with her, the soul of that young Sepp girl who was her childhood friend.

He walked towards the sword, held to the air by iron chains connected to the magnificent marble ceiling. Vigilance floated towards the sword and placed his hand on the hilt of the sword, closing his eyes as he felt her soul. The chain rumbled before breaking and Vigilance floated towards the floor, his hand around the hilt of the sword. It did not feel right for Vigilance to see the sword chained up there. It was as if she was the one imprisoned in the air.

As his feet touched the marble floor, Vigilance gasped as he fell on his knees, her soul assaulting him to the very core. Her very presence overwhelmed him and he tried to breathe, whispering, "I'm sorry."

The overwhelming power that could only have came from her continued to assault him, forcing him to close his eyes. The sensation may have only lasted for a few minutes but Vigilance felt as if years have been stripped away from him. The power subsided and he opened his eyes slowly, a never ending darkness greeted him. There were neither ceiling nor floor and Vigilance floated in the darkness. He could not even see himself but a cruel red light shone in front of him. Vigilance closed his eyes in fear of becoming blind. The familiar sensation that could only be brought by one person coursed through his body as the light disappeared. Vigilance opened his eyes and, there in front of him, the young red haired woman that plagued his thoughts floated before him. Although years have passed by in the real world, she did not age. She was as Vigilance remembered her, petite and beautiful. As Gig, he would have never brought it up but, as Vigilance, he could not deny her beauty. It pains him to know that such beauty was owned by the cruelest of all.

The cruelest of all?

Can he truly say that?

Would not Gig be a better candidate than the young woman before him?

Yes, this red haired woman was crown a demon by all. She slaughtered and conquered. She had turned the world upside down… but did Gig not have a part of the slaughter and the conquest? Did he not act while she slept?

She slept frequently and Gig took it as his time to shine, redecorating the castle to his liking and doing other atrocities that benefited only him and her. Wasn't Gig malicious and cruel during his time inside her because he had wanted her to wake up and find joy in his works? Although he would have not admitted it, Vigilance knew that, more than for his own personal joy, Gig had wanted her to smile and appreciate his hard work.

Was he not also to blame for her actions?

Did he not urge the young woman to action?

Did he not accompany her to her cruel endeavors?

Did he not encourage her to do what she wanted?

Was he not as guilty as the woman before him?

But Gig had died…

… and Vigilance had woken from his deep slumber.

Leaving her alone when he had promised to stay with her because they were soul mates…

"_I think… I have no soul…"_

Vigilance's chest ached painfully as her words echoed in his mind, a memory of a time where she had showed him weakness.

Only to Gig… she had only shown weakness and that child-like attitude to Gig. There was no secret between the two.

Maybe… Vigilance was jealous of that.

He never had anyone who he could truly say had connected with him. Even Resilience who he had considered an important person never told him about her desires, her secrets before she had taken her own life in front of him. But Gig, evil and selfish Gig, had her and she had him. There was no secret between the two of them. It was as if they were two broken parts that fit together.

Maybe… Vigilance wanted to receive the same.

"Gig?" Vigilance's entire body turned rigid as she slowly opened her ruby colored eyes. She stared at him blankly like a porcelain doll that should be treasured and kept in a glass cabinet.

Vigilance could not keep it inside, his chest aching painfully. He grabbed her arm and pulled him towards him, embracing her tightly. She lay limp in his arms as tears began to flow from his eyes, his voice cracking as he whispered, "I'm sorry."

I'm sorry for leaving you.

I'm sorry for betraying you.

I'm sorry for lying to you.

I'm sorry for not being there for you.

There were so many words he wanted to say but all he could choke out was…

"I'm sorry." His hold on her tightened as he repeated the two words like it was a prayer. He rested his head on the top of her hair, whispering, "I won't ever leave you again."

And he had meant it.

Maybe he was making a mistake. Maybe it was guilt that plagued him and not the sole desire to be with this woman.

Was it love?

Even Vigilance did not know.

Gig had never reflected upon his feelings for the young woman. Maybe it was simply camaraderie. Maybe there was the chance of it being something akin to siblings. But Gig never questioned how he felt. He never questioned nor considered about his actions or his words. He had meant all of them and no doubt was ever in his heart or mind.

Vigilance was different. He reflected and doubted about everything concerning the young woman in his arms. Everything was just confusing and all Vigilance desired was peace.

"Promise?" A pair of cold arms gripped his shirt as the young woman's voice shattered his thoughts.

Without a thought, he replied, "I promise."

The pain he received from Median's sword seemed like a playful tap in comparison to the pain he felt when he heard one word from her.

"Liar."

He felt her undeniable power and his hold grew weak. The hands gripping his shirt pushed him and he began to fall down the endless darkness. He reached for her hand and the tip of his fingers touched hers briefly as he continued to descend.

It was as if his heart had stopped when he had seen the empty smile on her lips and her empty ruby colored eyes stared at him as she said, "Goodbye… soul mate."

Vigilance continued to stare at her as the darkness seemed to pull him down. She continued to stare at him with an empty smile. It was as if she was already empty.

No.

She was broken.

Gig knew it.

She knew it.

That's why they had been soul mates. They were both broken and that's why…

"_Don't worry, kid."_

Vigilance opened his eyes, tears raining down his face as he realized that he was lying down on the cold floor. In his arms was the onyx blade that held her soul. Vigilance sat and stared at the sword in his hands. His eyes widened as the sword began to crack.

"No…" Vigilance could only look in horror as the sword broke before him, its pieces falling from his hands. As the Master of Death, Vigilance felt a soul return to the cycle.

But the soul Vigilance had talked to, the soul of the red haired young woman that plagued his mind…

… shattered like the sword before him.

Tears fell freely from his eyes, harder than the last. His heart had stopped aching. He was now free from the pain of her presence.

But his heart stopped beating all together.

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"_Hey, Gig." He could see her reflection as she stared at the blood stained onyx sword in her hands, an innocent look on her face as she said, "I think… I have no soul…"_

"_What the hell are you talking about, kid?"_

_She gave a carefree smile as she twirled around, her outstretched hand waving at the blood stained walls as she explained, "I feel nothing. I just slaughtered a lot of people and I feel nothing at all."_

"_You were laughing just a while ago." _

_She laughed at his comment and placed her blood stained sword on the ground in front of her as she replied, "That's different. You were having fun so I was having fun. But now…"_

_She tilted her head as she stared at the carnage in front of her, "Even if I look at this, I don't feel anything."_

"_That's because this garbage isn't important. We'll find something much more exciting."_

_She giggled and nodded, a smile on her face as she said, "Maybe I have a soul but it's already broken into pieces."_

"_Don't worry, kid. I'll keep the parts glued together for you."_

_She laughed at his reply, grabbing the sword and pulling it out of the ground. She twirled once more before placing her sword in front of her, staring at her reflection as she asked with a child-like smile on her face, "Okay then. I'll leave my soul to you… soul mate."_


End file.
